Flashback Friday- Poo Poo Edition

Yup, that's poop. Luca was/is always full of surprises.

Happy 6th Birthday Luca!

My Luca is six years old today. He woke up this morning and the first things he said was, "I am finally six!" All day I have been hearing things like... wow, my arms are longer now, and I can reach this now that I am six, and my hair is longer now that I am six. He is too funny. He has been home the past two days with a nasty virus so we didn't exactly get to celebrate the way we usually do. Instead we had some of Nonna's home made chicken soup and some cupcakes. After a trip to the doctor we made a quick stop at GameStop for a new game. He chose Club Penguin and all was well with the world. Luca will be having his "kid party" at the Rec Center this year. They have a great pool with water slides. He is really looking forward to it.

I love this funny, sweet, smart boy with all my heart and soul. He amazes me with his humor, honesty and his outlook on the world. He gives the best hugs with arms and legs wrapped around me. He draws me the sweetest pictures at school with us "in love and hugging." I love his lanky skinny body that looks just like mine did at his age. I love his big blue eyes with eyelashes a mile long. I love the way he answers "sure" but pronounced "shore" when he is answering a yes or no question. I love that he thinks that I am the smartest most perfect person he knows... he tells me all the time... I know that won't last long. I love that he looks to God when he has troubles. I love the way he asks one million questions when we are watching our new favorite show... Life. I love how he makes me laugh every single solitary day.

Over the past few years I have made little slide shows for the boys on their birthday. They really love them and now are expected. I can't seem to get this one to load onto blogger. Maybe it is too large a file.

Instead I found this little gem. I had forgotten how he would say "Yaaa yuhhh" and "Widda Widda had a farm" He also would say "Guh Guh" for "Buggah" which is what my kids came up with for the word Grandpa. I love his big finish at the end too!

Recent Lucaisms.....

* "I didn't blink at school today. Not even once."

* "There is a new boy in my class named Cody Machanic." Now why do I think this is made up? Cody Mechanic... really???

* "I didn't breathe today at school. I held my breath all day."

* It's 8:05 and we are on our way up to bed when he realizes, "I forgot to eat my dessert!" Dessert is a highlight of our day. He believes that dessert comes after not only dinner... but breakfast and lunch too.

* "What color is God's coat?"

* "The sparkle on the ocean are stars that have come down." There was no lead into this conversation... just thought he would let me know.

* "How does God get into your heart? Does he just take a knife and cut it open?"

* His doctor asks, "So Luca, do you have a girlfriend?" He replies matter of fact, "Yes." Doctor asks, "Who is it?" Luca replies as if he should know, "Mommy. I'm going to marry her." Duuuuuuhhhh.


and my personal favorite from today...

"My butt is different than other people's butts because I can hold my poop for a really really long time."

Good to know.

Kind of at a loss...

I need some input on this one.

My Luca has been wrestling with something and I am not sure how to handle it. Over the past couple of weeks he has been coming to me with concerns about me dying. I am not sure where this is coming from. No one we know has died recently. The only thing that may have sparked this is a conversation about our dog several weeks ago. He asked if Hero was going to die. I told him that Hero is still a young dog and he is very healthy. I told him that Hero will probably be around for a long time but... just like all living creatures, Hero will die one day. All living things eventually die, it is just part of life. I went on to tell him not to worry about those kinds of things and to enjoy the day and think happy thoughts. Well, since that time... he has come to me almost everyday... sometimes more than once very upset. It seems to come out of nowhere... at Target, after getting off the bus, while on a walk, bedtime. He is very emotional and when he talks his little voice breaks and there are tears and it is so upsetting. Last night the conversation got a little deeper...

Luca- I don't want you to die before me.
Me- Mommy isn't old and I am very healthy (already feel like I am not being honest here... not all people who die are old... but I just have to give him SOME reassurance.) I plan on being around for a very long time.
Luca- But you are older than me. Daddy is older than me. Adrian is older than me. I am only 5. One day I will have no Mommy, no Daddy, and no brother. I will have no family.
Me- Deep Breath... my heart is breaking One day you will get married and you will have children and they will be your family too. Eden is younger than you. You will ALWAYS have a family.
Luca- Will God take care of me?
Me- God will ALWAYS take care of you.
Luca- When I have children will the babies be in my stomach?

That is where the conversation took a turn. :) I don't know how to handle this one. I will NOT lie to him and say that I am not going to die. It is very important to me to be honest with my kids even when it is hard. Although Luca is bright he is immature. Talking to him about death still needs to be very basic. I just don't know what to say to him that will comfort him. Like I said, this keeps coming up. I feel like I'm not saying the right thing.

What should I be telling him???

Mommy

Adrian... Mommy, I want to talk to you about something but I don't want you to be upset.

Me...Okay what's up?

Adrian... I am thinking that I want to start calling you "mom" instead of mommy. My heart sinks a little. All my friends call their mom's mom except for me. Are you mad?

Me... Well, to be honest I knew there would come a day when you would stop calling me Mommy. If that is what you want to do that is fine. I am not upset. Lying through my teeth.

Adrian... Ok... mom. OUCH! Gosh that sounds weird! Ooooohhhhhh.... I can't do it! I am just going to keep calling you Mommy!Smile

Me... You can call me whatever you want.

Hugs.

Flashback Friday- Adrian in Kindergarten

Halloween 2009

The Boys

The day after we received our referral the boys brought a small photo album to school to show their friends. I made Luca a special shirt to wear with Eden's picture on it. They were both so excited. Luca is sooo excited to be a big brother. He loves anything that makes him feel older or more grown up. :)

Can't decide....

which one of these pictures is more hilarious.





Luca is obcessed with his new nose plugs. He loves them. He even wears them when he is not swimming. The strap broke, as you can see, which made them all the more dorky.

GFCF... What the F?

I received medical results this weekend that showed that my Luca has some "very high" food allergies. We will be eliminating wheat (gluten), dairy (casein), and eggs from his diet. Although he shown many of the signs of food allergies, I have to admit that I was stunned and had a range of emotions upon reading the results. GUILT... I have been feeding my baby these foods for the past three years! So many of his illnesses could have been easily prevented! MORE GUILT... Oh no! His favorite foods are over. No more Sunchips, Cheerios, Fiber One Bars, our homemade cookies we bake together! He is so little and won't understand! Hope... maybe this new diet will help with some of the health and behavioral issues we have been dealing with over the past three plus years. Confusion... What am I going to feed this child??? In case you don't know.... GLUTEN, CASEIN, AND EGGS ARE IN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

Unless otherwise noted gluten, casein and eggs are found in... just to name a few....

* all baked goods... cookies, cakes
* all chips, pretzels, crackers
* all breads, bagels, muffins, doughnuts, tortillas
* all cereals, oatmeal, breakfast bars, waffles, pancakes, syrup
* many lunch meats
* pastas
* most condiments, seasonings, spice mixes and breading
* candy, artificial colors, artificial flavors, cake decorations and frosting, CHOCOLATE
* cheeses, yogurts, butter, milk, pudding, marshmallow cream, chewing gum

It is even used in play-doh, glue, and on envelopes and stamps!


Soooooo, being that I have no GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free... cool new lingo I am learning) food in my home, I fed him a nice big bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and we left for the grocery store. I am somewhat familiar with the GFCF diet because my amazingly adorable, beautiful, funny, nephew Carson (Curing Carson) IS ALSO ALLERGIC TO WHEAT, DAIRY, AND EGGS. He is on the diet. What exactly was in the water when my sister and I were pregnant??????

Our first stop was a Trader Joe's. They had a good selection of GFCF crackers and chips as well as some brownie and pancakes mixes. It was a bit confusing though because although the Gluten free foods were well labeled they were not clearly labeled "Casein Free" or "Egg Free" which meant I had to take some time reading many packages. I easily found GFCF lunch meats and pastas though. The price there were GREAT! Although the packages were smaller, the prices were less than I would pay for our usual brand. I couldn't find GFCF ice-cream, butter, "Rice Dream" brand milk, any cereal, or bread that looked edible so we checked out Vince & Joe's. I was able to find all of these items and more at this store but they were VERY expensive.

$5.99 for 1/2 loaf of GFCF bread... the pieces are also about 1/2 the size of a 'normal' piece of bread
$6.59 for GFCF Apple Granola bars
$5.79 for GFCF cereal
$3.79 for a very small bag of Tapioca flour
$3.99 for "Rice Dream" milk.... 32 oz!!!!!
$4.49 for GFCF butter


Holy Moly. This sucks.

Beautiful Boy

Yesterday's Conversation

Here is a little excerpt from a conversation Luca and I had on our way home from the mall yesterday....

Luca is singing the "Yoda" song by Weird Al when he suddenly stops.

Luca... "Mommy, where did you buy me and Adrian?"
Me.... "I didn't buy you. You grew in my belly,"
Luca.... "What did you eat?"
Me.... "I didn't eat anything to make you grow in there."
Luca... "Then how did I get in your belly?"
Me...... "God put you in my belly."
Luca... "Who is God?"

I then went on to talk about why we go to church and who we talk to when we say our prayers. I then started singing the Yoda song and thankfully he joined in.

Barefoot Boy

The Barefoot Boy
by John Greenleaf Whittier (1855)

Blessings on thee, little man,
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!
With thy turned-up pantaloons,
And thy merry whistled tunes;
With thy red lip, redder still
Kissed by strawberries on the hill;
With the sunshine on thy face,
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;
From my heart I give thee joy,—
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!

Happy Birthday Adrian

Nine years ago today the most beautiful baby in the world was born.

More to come.

Happy 4th Birthday Luca!

My baby turned 4 today.

Luca entered this world with the same determination and uniqueness that he possesses today. He was born 12 days early. I was not expecting him quite so soon. My first born was only 1 day early so when I started feeling some mild contractions I blew them off. I had just started my maternity leave from school... taking the last six weeks off before summer vacation. I started my maternity leave two weeks before I was due. This would give me two weeks to get everything "just so" before his arrival. I remember being even a bit annoyed that I was having more Braxton Hicks... they were happening quite often for the few weeks leading up to his birth. My mom was in town and staying with us. Adrian was sleeping and my mom, Ron and I were all watching a movie. Out of frustration I told Ron that I was having false labor again. I was in no pain but could feel my belly tightening off and on. This went on for a while and my mom began to get nervous. Finally she begged.. I mean talked me into going to the hospital just to get checked out. I still wasn't in any pain but they had lasted for maybe an hour and were getting kind of regular. Maybe I was in denial... I had been dreading the delivery all along. I went upstairs to take a quick shower before we left for the hospital. While in the shower I was still letting Ron know when the contractions were starting just to keep a log to show the doctor. BAM! Within one contraction I went from 5 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart!!!!! Oh, and they were no longer pain free. Oh no... my mom was right ! :) My bag isn't packed... I'm not ready.... I was supposed to have two weeks to do this... my house is a mess... OH NOOOOOOOO! Now I am running around my bedroom throwing things into a bag in-between contractions. Ron and I then jump into the car and are on the way to the hospital. The contractions are now VERY INTENSE. It's a good thing that it is nighttime and not rush hour traffic. Ron was literally running red lights... it was like out of a movie!!!!!! I remember telling Ron in the car that I knew that my worst fear was going to come true and that it was going to be too late for an epidural. We finally make it to the hospital and enter the doors. We are greeted by a very nice elderly gentleman who is to wheel me upstairs in a wheelchair. I am now in full on labor... can't talk, can't think, can't move kind. I think that he was trying to give me a very smooth and gentle ride because he was walking me at a snails pace. I was praying that the baby wasn't going to come out on the elevator with this poor old man with me! He rolls me into triage. TRIAGE????? What, do you think I lying??? Do you think I'm faking??? Do you think I don't know what is happening??? I couldn't believe it!!!!!!! The first thing I tell the nurse is that I am having this baby and I need an epidural NOW!!!!!!! I was told that first I needed to pee in a cup and then they would take a look at me. These were the longest moments of my life. Finally she came in, checked me out, and agreed that I was in labor...thank you very much. She asks if I want to be wheeled down to my room. Thinking about my ride up to triage I opted to walk... yes walk. I walked as briskly as a 9 month pregnant woman in labor can possibly walk. At one point the nurse told me to relax and slow down. I could have killed her. We make it to my room and of course I ask again about my epidural. No dice. First I need to get an IV. So I wait. I have heard people say that you forget the pain after the baby is born... THEY ARE BIG FAT LIARS. Ron leaves to check on the status of the epidural. He comes back to tell me that the response from the nurse was... "honey, they are ALL in a lot of pain." Keep in mind that all of this has happened fairly quickly. Only about an hour or so has past since I left my house. A new nicer nurse takes over. She checks me and I will never forget the look on her face. She heads straight to the phone. It's time. My doctor isn't even at the hospital yet. My hopes for an epidural are dashed. Over the phone my sweet doctor tells the nurse that if I want an epidural to call one in anyway... even though it may be too late. I am told to breathe through the contractions so that my doctor can get to the hospital. I find that hysterically funny. I try but my Luca has other plans. He has decided that now is the time an there ain't nothin' nobody can do about it. I push a couple of times. Then, like an angel, I see by doctor swoop in. He literally swooped. He, in one motion, entered the room, puts his outstretched arms through the sleeves of a sterile garb that the nurse held up, and glides the rest of the way on a wheeled stool right in front of me. Again... right out of a movie. He tells me that in two or three pushes he will be out... I reply "how about two." Luca is born. I no longer have a child... I have "children".

A Peaceful Moment

The other day I was cleaning upstairs and noticed that it had gotten a bit quiet downstairs where the boys were playing. This is what I found. My two guys curled up on a chair watching cartoons. Adrian had his arm around Luca and Luca was resting his leg on Adrian. I took it in for a moment then ran for my camera.

Halloween 2007

My Two Beautiful Cathedrals

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping
the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you
tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock
to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is
the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes
that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now
they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's
going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was har d
not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style
dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair
was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut
butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book
on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it
to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the
greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover
what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could
pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they
would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no
credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the
eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a be am that will be covered by
the roof? No one will ever see it." An d the workman replied, "Because God
sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease
that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep
the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the
people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on
something that their name will nev er be on. The writer of the book went so
far as to say that no cat hedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because
there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's
bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three
hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built
a shrine or a monument to myself . I just want him to want to come home. And
then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna
love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel,
not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Author Unknown



Thanks mom for sending me this.

Nemo On Ice!